About Us
About District 418
Who We Are
Lions are men and women dedicated to serving those in need, in our own community and around the world. The over 1.4 million members in more than 48,000 clubs in over 200 countries are different in many ways, but share a core belief – community is what we make it. In addition to humanitarian service, Lions enjoy fellowship and develop leadership skills.
Vision Statement
To be the global leader in community and humanitarian service.
Mission Statement
To empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions
Our History
The distinguished history of Lions Clubs International forms the foundation for nearly everything Lions clubs do today. Lions have been helping people since 1917, the year it was formed. That year, Melvin Jones, a Chicago businessman, encouraged his club, the Chicago Business Circle, to go beyond promoting good business practices. He convinced the members that selfless service to others would create a better community – and a better world – for all.
Broadening its role in international understanding, the association was one of the first nongovernmental organizations invited to assist in the drafting of the United Nations Charter in 1945 and has supported the work of the UN ever since. In 1957, the Leo Program was created to provide the youth of the world with an opportunity for personal development through volunteering.
In 1968, Lions Clubs International Foundation was established to assist Lions with global and large-scale local humanitarian projects. Through our Foundation, Lions meet the needs of their local and global communities.
District 418 – Ghana
History
The first Lions Club in Ghana (Accra Premier Lions Club) was chartered on 7th December, 1987. At the time, being the only Club in Ghana, it was part of Zone 121 in Togo made up of Ghana, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso. This meant officers attended Zone meetings outside Ghana. The District then was 403A made up of mostly countries in West and Central Africa excluding Nigeria and 403B which was made up of countries such as Mauritius and the Reunion. In total, 403A and 403B were made up of 29 countries.Â
After redistricting in 2008 Ghana became part of District 403A2 made up of 6 countries namely; Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ghana was then known as Region 16 with Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The journey to become a single District started in 2017. After meeting the initial requirements in terms of number of Clubs and members, Ghana with 17 Clubs and over 450 members was accorded a provisional district status in 2018. The District elected its first District Governor in the person of Lion Kwaku Mensa-Bonsu (PMJF) on 12th January 2019. The newly created District was officially inaugurated on May 3rd, 2019.
District 418 currently has 34 Clubs and 6 Zones. The Clubs are in major cities such as Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Takoradi, Ho, Cape Coast.